The Twig Stove – A 9 oz Powerhouse

Evolution of the Twig StoveFor me it all started in the 70’s. My grandpa Peacock was a Beekeeper as a profession and my dad did it as a part time job while working towards his retirement at age 50. I worked in the business a good part of my growing up years. I was always trying to improve something, lazy, haha. One thing was the smoker, a can like device with bellows that also served as a handle. The fire chamber was typically filled with burlap and started on fire. the lid with a small hole was closed. Not enough oxygen was present to flame so it would smolder. Squeeze the bellows and a puff of smoke came out. This had a calming effect on the bees.

I had an idea to make the handle a battery case and to install a small fan on the side of the smoker cylinder near the bottom. Light the burlap as usual, then for a puff of smoke press a button on the handle, the fan would pulse on. The design was great.

As I got into High School, I really got into hiking and camping, which continues to this day. In the early 80’s I remembered the smoker design and decided to modify it for use as a stove.

It was astounding in it’s heating ability, well actually too good. I melted my first stove. So I had to make the fan smaller, still a bit much, so I put a speed control on the fan, excellent.

Until recently I made my own fans with small DC motors from Radio Shack, to which I soldered a fan blade fashioned from a piece of tin. This arrangement worked very well.

We have now substituted small pancake fans like those used to cool computers.

Exactly What is a Twig Stove?
It is a metal cylinder (48 oz soup can) with the lid cut out. A hole in the bottom to mount the fan over. There is a feed hole near the top for adding twigs while cooking. Inside a grate is formed by punching a bunch of holes in the lid that was removed from the can. Several nails or metal rods are bent and fastened to swing to adjust for the size of cup or pan used in cooking. Whew!! That’s it.

What makes the Twig Stove so Appealing to use?
It’s light weight at just over 9 ounces (255 grams) is certainly appealing, combine that with its totally hollow interior that can be used for storage means it is light and takes almost no space. There is no fuel to take, about any little thing that burns can be used, Twigs of course are great. You will need a battery, we use 9 volt, and that will last for hours and hours of cooking. It only takes a handful or two of twigs to cook a meal. Works great in the wind. It is cheap to make or you can buy one from us. The Twig Stove is safe, no fuel to spill or explode, no gas cartridges to dispose of. After initial starting, the stove can operate nearly smoke free, relying mostly on a bed of coals.